George b



(No Model.)

G. B. HOPPER.

GAN.

Patented Aug. 18,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE B. HOPPER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FAIRBANK CANNING COMPANY, OE SAME PLACE.

CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,053, dated August 18, 1891.

Application led March '7, 1891. Serial No. 384,168. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. HOPPEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cans, of which the following is a specication, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section on line l l of Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 is a perspective View.

My invention relates to cans used in canning meats or other articles, which cans are adapted to be opened by tearing out a strip of the can. Heretofore cans have been made with a double bead, forming either a raised or depressed strip or band around the can near the top, which strip was adapted to be torn out to open the can. In order to permit of tearing the strip out it was found necessary to make incisions in the can at each side of the strip or band, whereby the can was greatly weakened and it was made liable to rust along` the lines of incision.

The object of luy invention is to avoid the above objections and to provide a can of the class described, in which only one bead will be necessary and in which no incisions will be required to facilitate the removal of the strip. I accomplish this object as illustrated in the drawings, and as hereinafter described.

That which I regard as new will be set forth in the claim.

In the drawings, A indicates the body of the can, which may be either round or square or of any other desired shape and is provided with a cover B. The cover B is made in the form shown and is adapted to tit into the top of the can-body, as best shown in Fig. l. The periphery of the cover B is adapted to t inside of the can at the top and is adapted to t closely against the upper edge of the can, as shown in the drawings.

At a point a short distance below the upper edge of the can the side C is provided with a bead c, which extends around the can at a uniform distance from the top. This construction forms a narrow band or strip D, which extends around the can, as best shown in Fig. 2. At or about the side seam a. of the can the strip D is provided with a projecting tongue d, which is adapted to overlap the strip at that point, the can being soldered underneath the strip to make it tight.

lVhen it is desired to open the can, the tongue CZ is firmly seized by any suitable device and is turned outward. The strip D will thereby be torn from the side of the can at the bead c and from the top of the can along the solder-line at the upper edge, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. By this construc- 6o tion no incisions are necessary, as the strip may readily be torn from the point of its union with the cover and at the bead c.

The cover-plate is so formed around its border or edges that when the strip is removed it may still be used as a cover for the remaining part of the can, even when the can is tapered toward the bottom, for the strip removed is so narrow that the cover may be inset into the body of the can to protect the 7o unused contents. The bead produces a sufiicient weakening of the tin to cause the tearing to follow the beading, it being found that a weakening of the metal along the top of the bead is caused in the formation of the can when made as herein described. The weakening being on the outside of the can, the iron base of the material of the can is not exposed to the contents, as is the case when incisions are made on the interior of the cantor the 8o purpose of weakening along the line to be torn. The tearing of the strip along the apex of the bead at its lower edge and the parting of the strip from the cap to which it is attached by solder at its upper edge may easily be accomplished by rolling the strip on a suitable instrument, leaving the cover in good condition for use in protecting the contents of the can.

I do not claim a projecting tongue, as that 9c is old.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A can having a raised bead with unbroken surfaces, said bead encircling the can near its top,whereby the metal of the can is weakened there, and a cover attached to the top of the can bysolder, the metal between the head and solder forming a strip of metal of a single thickness and this strip being provided with roo a tongue or extension, substantially as and for the purpose described.

GEORGE B. HOPPER.

Witnesses:

RUDOLPH WOLENEE, JOHN L. JACKSON. 

